Deluge
Deluge was an arc run in the roleplay thread by WonderSquid. It is the seventh arc in an ongoing series. Plot Still torn up (literally and metaphorically) from the events of the previous arc, Alpha enjoys a brief period of respite to come to terms with Kirb's death and Aven's loss, and allow his various gunshot wounds to heal. He heads outside to enjoy the cold weather with friends a few days after returning, and accidentally stumbles into a large stone pit. This pit, curiously enough, would be completely smooth, almost melted, were it not for the phrase "all is naught" carved over and over again into the walls, and just once, "so sorry". A set of keys is also discovered in the pit, and after four or five people all try to cram themselves into a space the size of a storage closet, the floor beneath them caves in and reveals a tunnel, sealed off by the stone. A light is seen flickering at the end of this tunnel, but it disappears, leaving the others to puzzle over the turn of events. The Doctor and Alpha are quite excited by this discovery, and resolve to get to the bottom of it. Not long after returning to the room, Alpha hears a voice calling him to the door, and opens it, where he is dragged through by tendrils of black shadows despite the others' attempts to save him. The door slams shut, but when it is opened again, it opens up into the back alley of a bustling city. A quick peek around reveals this place to be Las Vegas, March 3rd, 2021. Checking the local newspaper also reveals that there have been several unusual happenings going on as well, such as mysterious radio broadcasts, teens falling into comas from playing the famous MMORPG TOME, and a new museum exhibit boasting the discovery of a new civilisation. The creator of TOME, John Nestoriak, is widely held responsible in the public eye for these broadcasts, but nothing has been proven, and Mr. Nestoriak has claimed innocence in interviews. After speaking to a rather disgruntled tour guide, they split up into groups, one to acquire money through currency exchange, one with a car, stolen by KH-47, which is subsequently tortured with Crush 40 songs, and one that has taken the bus to a local hotel, the Doctor included, with his "Bus Pass". On the way around the city, they see a crime scene up ahead for an explained murder. A man attacked a random woman and killed her by biting out her throat with absolutely no precedent. After setting up at the MGM Grand Hotel, HK-47 disposes of the car via burning it, and they read a newspaper article by Brad Cummings, detailing a final message from Kirb, as well as the news that he has been declared a vegetable. Watching the news reveals that there have been several shooting sprees, but it is noticeable that several details have been left out. The Doctor notices some form of mental feedback, but it is too faint to perceive properly, apart from one word: "gone". The party then heads out to explore Vegas. A man is discovered in a casino, making a killing. Restaurants are explored, slots are played and a good time is had by all. Except for the guys who got carjacked, who are none too happy to discover their car is gone. The next morning, Link goes out to explore the Red Rock canyons which happen to be nearby, and a newspaper article by Aaron Sanford is read on the new museum exhibit. Link discovers, among other things such as beautiful scenery, a dead body that looks rather torn up and heavily decayed. He informs the ranger present, who calls the police, but when a team is sent up to investigate, they do not come back down. After the police are gone for some time, Link heads up after them and finds every one of them dead. There are birds dotting the trees, which attack him. Meanwhile, the party discovers that Alpha has woken up from his coma, but will not speak, and does not respond to outside stimulus, though he was released to his parents a month previously. Nevertheless, they are greatly relieved to know he is well. Another group visits the museum, and finds a curious sword there, as well as fragments of old pottery with an unknown language on them. They are approached by Aaron Sanford, who is interested in speaking with them later. After pulling them aside, he blackmails them into telling him everything they know, lest he report them to the police for stealing and burning his car, along with the important papers that were inside it. He then informs him that the stuff at the museum "isn't the main exhibit", and tells them to meet him tomorrow and to try to look inconspicuous. After getting back to the hotel, they also decide to have part of the party investigate the transmission of The Beast and his armies will rise from The Pit to make war against God. Trivia *At 1017 pages, Deluge is the longest arc to run so far. Category:Arcs